Approximately How Many Species Have We Described Out of the Species

Question

Approximately how many species have we described out of the species alive today?
A) We have described about half of the species on Earth.
B) Apart from the tropics, we have described almost all the species on Earth.
C) We have described only a small fraction of the species on Earth.
D) We have described almost all of the species on Earth.

Accepted Answer

Estimates vary, but it is widely accepted that we have only described a small fraction of the total number of species on Earth. Some scientists believe we have only discovered about 10% of all species, while others put the number closer to 20 or 25%. So, we still have a lot of work to do to document and understand the biodiversity of our planet.